They set off before dawn the day before yesterday, but today they've stopped and won't go any further? This young lady's temperament is truly unpredictable!

"I think you're overthinking it. We've been out here escorting goods for years. When it comes to weather forecasting, we should be the ones with more experience. How could a young woman like her possibly predict when it will rain?"

"Don't let the injuries on those two men make you idolize this young lady." Another bodyguard couldn't help but interject, offering his opinion.

It does rain during the transition from autumn to winter, but it's very rare.

"Once we reach a place where we can take shelter from the rain, we'll boil a pot of herbal soup to warm us up, otherwise even an iron body won't be able to withstand it," the older man said, frowning.

That's what they say, but as it grew larger, the road became increasingly muddy, and the speed of travel became impossible to increase.

He worried that the people wouldn't be able to handle it, and he was equally afraid that the horses hauling the goods would get sick.

No sooner had they finished speaking than the carriage stopped. The men urged the horses to go ahead and see what was going on. It turned out that the lead carriage had gotten stuck in a mud pit. The bodyguards quickly pulled and pushed the carriage out of the mud pit. The men who pulled and pushed the carriage were covered in mud and looked disheveled.

"Did we choose the wrong time to leave this time?" someone muttered quietly.

Some people thought that the Second Madam was really lucky, but then they realized that it didn't make sense. Even if the Second Madam hadn't gone back and had continued the escort mission, she would have stayed in the carriage in this weather, neither getting wet nor suffering.

Tang Xihua, who spends most of his time as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), has experienced weather worse than this before, but he has never felt so bad as he does now.

He didn't know if he was annoyed by the weather or worried that the bodyguards would catch a cold and get sick, but if it wasn't one of those two reasons, what else could it be?

At Anfu Inn in Cangwang Town, Hong Xiaoduo learned that the inn also had a dining hall, but guests needed to make reservations an hour in advance, specifying the number of people and the dishes ordered.

So Hong Xiaoduo ordered stewed pork ribs, crucian carp soup, and mutton stew with radish.

When it was lunchtime, the waiter came over to greet us.

The small dormitory was not far from the dining hall, and there were corridors along the way, so there was no need to even use an umbrella.

Besides her and her seven children, there were only five other diners in the dining hall. The waiter jokingly said that these guests were introduced by God. Hong Xiaoduo looked at their wet hair and understood that they had to stay at the inn during the day because of the heavy rain.

After all, there was nowhere to change their wet clothes while seeking shelter from the rain on the side of the road.

The pork ribs were stewed until very tender, and the little ones ate them with great relish, sucking on the bones after gnawing on the meat. The fish soup was white and fragrant, and tasted delicious.

Children are growing, so fish, meat, and eggs are essential. Hong Xiaoduo tries to order less fried food, only ordering it every few days.

As for staple foods, she doesn't require them to be so refined; she also needs to eat whole grains.

The waiter served the dishes to the five guests. When he passed by Hong Xiaoduo's table, he couldn't help but stop and watch as the seven children ate so heartily.

"Young man, could you please tell the kitchen that if they have any fish with few bones, could you braise one for us tonight? Also, could you give us a serving of lamb liver, a serving of minced meat and egg custard, and a vegetable dish that comes with whatever vegetables they have?"

"Tomorrow morning, we'd like to have steamed buns with beef and shredded radish filling, about twenty-five should be enough. Tomorrow at noon, we'd like a chestnut chicken, a lamb tripe soup, and two vegetable dishes. We haven't thought about tomorrow night yet, we'll decide on that around noon tomorrow." Hong Xiaoduo finished speaking to the waiter, unsure if he could remember all that she had said.

Hearing that she had even ordered the menu for lunch the next day, not only was the waiter a little surprised, but the five guests at the next table also looked over, wondering if she was planning to stay permanently.

“Young lady, the rain should stop by evening, and we can set off tomorrow. If you’re not leaving tomorrow, are you just waiting for someone?” one of the five couldn’t help but ask.

He noticed that the young woman's clothes and appearance didn't seem like those of someone raised in seclusion, which is why he dared to ask her so boldly.

Having confirmed that the weather forecast provided by the bracelet was accurate, Hong Xiaoduo felt confident and replied, "The rain will indeed stop this evening, but I reckon it will continue tomorrow afternoon, and the rainfall will only be heavier than today."

Since we didn't have anything urgent to do, we decided to stay here for another day.

If you're not in a hurry, you might consider staying another day. The cook here is quite good, the inn is reasonably priced, the bedding is clean, and the waiter is diligent and helpful. After a good rest, you can make up for lost time once the weather clears up.

Judging from their posture and heroic demeanor, Hong Xiaoduo guessed they were soldiers; their upright and honest eyes suggested they were upright and righteous men. Therefore, she couldn't help but kindly offer her suggestion; whether the other party believed her or listened was their own business.

Hearing her words, the five exchanged glances and smiled: "Thank you for the reminder, young lady. Whether we leave tomorrow or not, we'll decide based on the weather tomorrow morning."

This response, while conveying their belief that they didn't believe it would rain even harder tomorrow, was still a tactful one.

Hong Xiaoduo wouldn't get upset over such a small matter. She smiled, nodded, and ladled out a small half-bowl of fish soup for Yao Guang.

The five guests finished eating after Hong Xiaoduo and her group. As they passed their table, they glanced at it and noticed that both the plates and soup bowls were empty.

There were no leftover food items on the table, only cleanly gnawed bones. I couldn't help but turn around and look at the food left on my table.

“Even kids know not to waste food, so let’s order less next time,” one of our companions said.

The other four also agreed with him. In this day and age, many people are still starving! It's really unreasonable for them to waste food.

"But why are all seven children bald?" He was more curious about this than the relationship between the young woman and the seven children.

Those seven kids all looked pretty and were dressed nicely, but why did they shave their heads?

"Qifeng, if you're so curious, why don't you go and ask him?" someone said with a smile.

Qi Feng rolled his eyes at his companion and said, "You talk as if you're not curious. I'm a military officer, but I'm not a brute. Do you think I'm stupid enough to ask about this when I don't even know the person?"

As the group passed the small communal sleeping area on their way back to their room, they heard a child's clear, childlike voice reciting: "Goose, goose, goose, with its curved neck singing to the sky, white feathers floating on green water, red webbed feet paddling through clear waves."

"Mom, I can recite it now."

"Good, Yaoguang is so smart, here's a peanut brittle for you." Another woman's voice responded, causing Qifeng to stumble and almost twist his ankle.

Looking at his other companions, they all had the same astonished expression.

That young lady, she's a mother now! How old is she? No, that's not the point. She doesn't look like a married woman at all...